By Ameer Ali –
Dr. Ameer Ali
Amphibians are at home in two or more places but are native to none of them. This has been the unfortunate saga of the SLMC since its emergence as an independent political party in the 1990s. When it originated the party leaders proclaimed that they would be the sole representatives of the Muslim community in Sri Lanka and that they would live and die for that community. But the reality was totally different. In trying win parliamentary seats, ministerial positions and wealth seeking opportunities the SLMC stalwarts were willing to sacrifice the interests of the community for personal gain. Even when they bargained for a coalition partnership the chips they bargained with were not benefits to the community but the number of ministries that the leaders would get and the power of such ministries. This was so blatantly demonstrated at the last general elections.
Which political party in the world, can someone point out to me, did sacrifice its own identity, merge completely with another, won parliamentary seats and ministerial positions, and then did go on to claim that the original party was still a force to reckon with and a fortress for its native vote bank? This is exactly what the SLMC and its parvenus are claiming in the Eastern Province. This braggadocio is risible at best and mendacious at worst.
When the Uva Provincial Council elections were held during the waning months of the Rajapaksa regime SLMC contested to test the waters. The rout it received from the Muslims of Uva signalled to the leaders that the same fate would be repeated if SLMC were to contest a general election under its own banner. All SLMC political aspirants except one from Eravur cowardly deserted their own party, obtained tickets under the UNP and entered the parliament through the UNP door. Logically, morally and in terms of institutional structure therefore, that sole winner from Eravur, Ali Zahir Mowlana, should automatically become the leader of the SLMC rump. It is to avoid that eventuality SLMC leadership has now started beating the drums. I have called earlier for the dissolution of the SLMC. The party’s financial and real estate assets should be handed over to another charitable Muslim organization or to the Waqf. This may not happen that easily because of vested interests within SLMC.
UNP’s own strength in the national government is so vulnerable that its leader has to tolerate these amphibians and their braggadocio. If the government were to collapse because of internal fighting between the UNP and the SLFP faction under MS – which possibility cannot be dismissed so easily – and if the President were to call for another General Election the SLMC amphibians will be looking for a an alternative abode to settle; and who knows it may be even BBS if the winds of electoral fortune were to blow in its favour.
If there is one lesson that the SLMC should learn from the last election, it is this: You can fool some people all the time, all the people some time but not all the people all the time.
The national parties including the JVP should become totally national in their structure, composition and policies in order to leave the ethnic parties like the SLMC out in the wilderness. As a first step towards that the Tamil problem should be addressed with sincerity and settled.
For all intents and purposes the SLMC is dead. It is time to say amen (amin) to the requiem (talqin).
*Dr. Ameer Ali, School of Management and Governance, Murdoch University
Ahamed Mashoor / September 15, 2015
Dear Dr. Ameer Ali
I like to agree with all the sentiments expressed in your article.I was watching in close quarters their behaviour at the recent Parliamentary election in the East, particularly in Sammanthurai.
They distributed money,rice and beef one day prior to the election to obtain some cheap votes. Spent millions of rupees as bribes to poor people in order to obtain votes and told all the lies in the world.
You’re right the SLMC’s demise has started.They can no longer hide behind UNP fore ever. SLMC’s beginning of the end has started.People has lot of suspicion about the Digamadulla election results? Time will tell.
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Amarasiri / September 16, 2015
Dr. Ameer Ali
RE: SLMC Amphibians Inside UNP’s Elephant Kraal
Talking about Amphibians are there Wahhabi Amphibians Inside Muslims?
How do you protect the Muslims from the Wahhabi Virus? Wahhabis follow Iblis, Satan.
[Edited out]
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ranjit demel / September 15, 2015
muslims anywhere in the world say that their religioun is just tolerant and peacefull.but the reality is not so.
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Amarasiri / September 18, 2015
ranjit demel
“muslims anywhere in the world say that their religioun is just tolerant and peacefull.but the reality is not so.”
There are Muslims who follow Islam.
Then there are the so-called “Muslims” , who follow Iblees, Iblis, Devil, Satan, Shaitan generally called Wahhabis and their Clones such as ISIS, Taliban, Boko Haram etc.
It is not much different in Christianity and Buddhism.
There are those who follow Satan, Lucifer, etc. in Christianity. Remember Joshua stopping the sun for 24 hours?
Then in Buddhism, there are those who follow Mara and sometimes MaRa.
Iblis, Iblees, Satan, Shaitan, Lucifer, Mara, MaRa all have their own agendas.
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Sumith / September 15, 2015
Dr Ameer,
You are looking at from only one side. In this election the small parties like JVP, Sarath Fonseka’s party got trampled by Elephant-Betal fight. Due to Rajapakse-phobia people voted for UNP instead of voting for parties like JVP & SF party. If SLMC went solo it would have met the same fate as these small parties.
True SLMC did not do right things in past. They have lot of corrections to do to regain support of muslims.
At cross roads of time right political decisions has to be done. You survive to fight another day rather get perished. My thinking is SLMC choose the right choice in this election.
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Carnival Quddus / September 15, 2015
The SLMC’s slow death has been on the horizon at least since the last Uva Provincial Council election.Now the question is will the 2 main parties ,the UNP and SLFP attempt to bring back the Muslims led astray by the SLMC , by meaningfuly addressing their concerns?Signs are they are doing just that with the UNP leading the way and the new, post Rajapaksa SLFP following .After all the Muslims were with either of the 2 parties like the Sinhalese ; that was until the SLMC took then for a nice ride!
If the two main parties continue to attract the muslims the SLMC would soon be history.
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Pygmalion / September 15, 2015
M.H.M.Ashraff was the SLMC and the SLMC.was M.H.M.Ashraff.After his mysterious death in Sept:2000,the fissures appeared in the SLMC which progressed to fractures.
Late M.H.M.Ashraff was a mercurial personality who reaped the Whirlwind,during that shortspell between 1994 to 2000.
The present Leader Rauff Hakeem does not know whether he is coming or going!
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Jaufer / September 15, 2015
It is a non-sense article. In the East the Muslim voters continoulsy votes with Muslim parties, whether it is SLMC, Athaullah or now with Rishad’s. It will be the same for a foreseeable feature unless there is a big change in the mentality of the Two big parties. I don’t see it happen for another 20-30 years till a current generation of politicians replaced by a good, educated politicians. The issue is that, The Sri Lankan Muslims don’t have a better alternate choice except SLMC. That is the reality now.
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Spring Koha / September 15, 2015
Ay Thambi, come and see what that nice Dr Ali has written now.
Actually Thambi, the reality is that our Muslims are increasingly like the legendary lost tribe of Israel. There are many ‘prophets’ and many ‘leaders’ but they are all wandering aimlessly. Over the years there has been many a wrong turning and so today the community is lost and adrift, and increasingly susceptible to the evil forces of this land that are thankfully now subjugated (but only waiting for the time to return).
You know Thambi, political Muslims should be a bit like the Christians. Jump into the big pool, and fight for your place in the sun. Trust WE the people; issues for any community should be issues for us all, and that we should all pursue to resolve.
Thambi, we should all chase the SRI LANKAN dream to be equal, happy and liberated under the blessed sun that shines on us all equally.
Thambi thought, and said “Alhamdulliah” and spontaneously I replied “Praise be to God on high”.
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Aslam / September 15, 2015
It is not fair for an Australian athiest to comment on the sri lankan muslims or the politicians, it is like and arab targetting the sinhalese (Ameer Ali is an Australian citizen and is not a muslim) its like salman rushdie tehy have a muslim name but is not a muslim
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Shrikharan / September 20, 2015
In reply to Aslam who wrote:
“its like salman rushdie tehy have a muslim name but is not a muslim”
Like Luxman kadirgamar who is Tamil only by name, who did not know to speak in Tamil but ‘rented’ his Tamil name and got high position in the Government to speak lies what the Government would like to hear and became ‘popular’ for all the wrong reasons, made lot of money.
He got what he deserves and now dumped by all and his children are bitter the Government did very little to find his killers. There is doubt about who the true killers are whether it is an ‘inside job’ and not the LTTE. Their children would have been better off complaining then to their dad to keep clear off this dirty politics.
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Plato. / September 15, 2015
Ameer Ali is an Australian citizen and is not a Muslim you say.So,therefore all Muslims,especially the ones from the Eastern Province,who are domiciled in Australia,Canada,USA,UK are not Muslims? Then what are they Zionists?
Dr.Ameer Ali, is one person who had a critical and academic approach to his analysis on postings to the CT.
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MYM Siddeek / September 20, 2015
‘Which political party in the world, can someone point out to me, did sacrifice its own identity, merge completely with another, won parliamentary seats and ministerial positions, and then did go on to claim that the original party was still a force to reckon with and a fortress for its native vote bank? This is exactly what the SLMC and its parvenus are claiming in the Eastern Province.’
Well said Dr. Ali. Who is to be blamed, the voters who vote again and again to these ‘traitors’ or the ‘traitors’ themselves? We have seen how they deceived the voters by giving unrealistic promises and lies in the last general election to ‘rob’ their votes.
The voters, specially the young voters should realise this. For this, they should be educated. Have they achieved anything for the Muslim community in the last nearly 30 years of the existence of SLMC, now the same with its splinter groups ? It is all about portfolios and positions for the leaders and their relatives and some key members of the parties! If the voters do not realise this, what can we do?
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